Turntable



Oct'. 21 1924.v

F. J. RUMP TURNTABLE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 23; 1924 WITNESSES INVENTOR TJPu/mo ATTORNEYS Oct. 21 1` 924. l 1,512,640 FLRUMP TURNTABLE Filed April 23, 1924 g sheets-sheet 2 mnmuumm Oct. 21 |924..

F. J. RUMP TURNTABLE Filed Apri-l 23 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 betises@ y s.

`u K I INVENTOR A TTORNE YS Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRED JOHN RUM?, GF VERSAILLES, KENTUCKY.

monuments.

Application filed April 23, 19211.

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that l, FRED Jer-1N BUMP, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Versailles, in the county of l/Voodford and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turntables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in turntables especially designed for use in garages and aims to provide a turntable of this character which automatically operates to turn the car or Vmotor vehicle driven thereon through 180o so that the car may be driven in and out of the garage in a forward speed. By eliminating thel necessity of Vreversing the car in leaving as well as in entering the garage, the operation of the car is facilitated and the liability of accident lessened.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novel features of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, showing one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section, taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the means for controlling the clutch andV motor switch;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view in plan of the tripping mechanism of the clutch and motor switch control, showing the control plate set for operation; Y

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing the control plate as positioned after having been shifted by the vehicle operated means so as to permit the clutch to engage and motor switch to close; and

Figure 6 is another view similar to Figure 4:, showing the first step in the resetting of the control plate.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a suitable turntable structure having channel ways 11 embodied therein and into which the wheels of the automobile or other vehicle are run. The channel ways 11 have agreater longitudinal extent than the wheel base of the type of automobile for which the turntable is designed.

Serial No. 708,518.

The turntable is mounted for free rotative movement by means of flanged rollers 12 suitably connected to the turntable and operating on a. circular track 13 mounted on a base 14. A casting l5 is bolted to the underside of the central portion of the turntable structure and to this casting a ring gear 16 is fixed. A post 17 fixed to and upstanding from the base 14e rotatably fits in the opening of the ring gear 16 and provides the axis about which the turntable revolves. A thrust bearing 18 is interposed between the ring gear 16 and the means employed for securing thev post 1? to the base 14. It is to be understood that ball bearings or roller bearings are to be employed wherever desirable. A drive shaft 19 is journaled in bearings 2O and has fixed thereto a pinion 21 -Ineshed with the ring gear 16.

rlhe drive shaft 19 is driven from an electric motor 32 by motion transmission mechanism which includes any suitable speed reduction gearing and a clutch of any approved and suitable type. For the sake of simplicity in illustration, the speed reduc tion gearing is shown as comprising simply a small pulley 22 fixed to the armature of the motor and driving "a large pulley 23 fixed to a ccuntershaft 24 by means of a belt 25. rllhe shaft 211 is journaled in suitable bearings 26 and has fixed thereto a small sprocket wheel 27 driving a large sprocket wheel 23 through a spoclret chain 29. The sprocket wheel 28 is loosely mounted on the drive shaft 19 and is fitted for limited sliding or longitudinal movement on said shaft 19. rllhe clutch is shown Vfor the salie of illustration as comprising a clutch member 30 fixed to the sprocket wheel 23 and a co operable clutch member 31 fixed to the shaft 19.

l1 switch 33 controls the current supplied to the motor 32. v"When the switch 33 is closed the motor 32 is operated or running and when the switch 33 is opened the motor 32 is stopped.

lt is proposed to engage the members 3() .and 31 of the clutch and to close the switch 33 by control means operated by the automobile or vehicle when the automobile is run onto the turntable so that the turntable is automatically operated. ln order to limit f llO the members and 31 of the switch at the proper time.

To carry out functions a longitudinally shiftable control rod is journaled in bearings 36 and is connected to the clutch member 30 by a shifting fork 37 secured to the control rod and operating in an annular groove formed in the collar of the clutch member 30. The control rod 35 is also connected to the switch 83 by means of a rigid connecting wire or rod 38. A retraetile coil spring 39 has one end fastened to the control rod 85 and has its opposite end fastened to the base and is tensioned to move the control rod 35 to such position that the clutch members 30 and 31 will be engaged and Vthat the switch 33 will be closed.

A supporting plate 40 is fastened to the base below the turntable and on this supporting plate 40 a control'plate 41 is slidably and shiftably mounted by means of a stud 42 upstanding from the plate 40 and operating in a longitudinal groove 43 provided in the control plate 41. An upstanding flange 44 is integral with the control plate V40 and engages the stud 42 to provide a better bearing for the same. A lip 45 integral with the base plate 40 overlies the control plate and constrains the same to sliding and swinging movement in a horizontal plane on said supporting plate.

One edge of the plate 41 has formed thereon a camming surface 46 engageable with a pin 47 fixed to the control rod 85. Adjacent the camming surface 46 ,the con trol plate 41 is cutaway or recessed, as at 48. A retractile coil spring 49 is connected at one end to the control plate 41, as at 50, and its opposite end is secured to the base, as at 51, the spring 49 being positioned and tensioned to slidel and swing the control plate 41 so that its camming surface 46 is behind but slightly spaced from the pin 47.

Adjacent theV opposite ends of the channels 11 vehicle operated levers 55 are provided and each lever 55 consists of a metal plate hinged, as at 56, to the channel 11 and the underlying turntable structure, the free end of the plate having a depending curved arm 57 integral therewith and braced thereto, the arm 57 and its brace being accommodated in suitable slots or openings in the channels 11 and the turntable structure. Two levers are provided but only one is adapted to operate at a time. Either lever is in operative postion when its curved arm 51 has ridden up on a curved and yieldable and resilient bracket 58 which has sullicient rigidity to elevate either lever 55 but which yields and'moves downward when the wheels of the automobile or other vehicle engage and depress the lever 55 whose arm 57 engages the bracket 58. The downward movement of the bracket 57 is transmitted to the control plate 41 as by means of a bell crank lever 59 having an arm 60 engaged with the bracket 58 and an arm 61 connected by a rod 62 with the control plate 41. The turntable 10 also carries a pair of diametrically opposite rollers, designated at 65 and 66 and successively cooperable with the flange 44 ot the control plate 41.

lll/*hen the turntable is set ready for operation the parts are positioned as shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive at which time the control plate 41 is held by the combined action of the roller 65 and the spring 49 with its camming surface 46 engaged with the pin 47 to hold the control shift 35 shifted to the left as viewed in Figures 1 to 4 whereby the switch 38 is opened and the clutch members 30 and 31 are disengaged. When an automobile runs onto the channels of the turntable one of its wheels will engage the elevated lever 55 but the other lever 55 will be left free, as the space between them is greater than the wheel base of the vehicle. This depresses the lever 55 and through the bracket 58, bell crank 60 and rod 62 slides the control plate 41 to disengage the camming surface 46 from the pin 47, as shown in Figure 5, to permit the spring 39 to shift the control rod 35 to the right, as viewed in Figures 1 to 4 so as to close the switch 33 and engage the clutch members 30 and 3].. The pin 47 is accommodated in the recess 48 at such time. In this manner the motor 32 is started and the turntable is driven through the gearing and clutch as described. When the turntable has moved a short distance the curved arm 57 of the operative lever 55 disengages the yieldable bracket 58 and the same springs upwardly. As the roller 65 has also moved out of engagement with the flange 44 the spring 49 swings and slides the control plate 41 to the position shown in Figure 6 when the camming surface 46 is disposed behind the pin 47 but is not pressed against the same. However the control plate 41 is now reset so that when the turntable has moved through 180O and the roller 66 engages the flange 44 to swing the late 41 about the stud 42 from the position s own in Figure 6 to the position shown in Figure 4 the camming surface 46 will coaet with the pin 47 to shift the control rod 35 to the left as viewed in Figures 1 to 4 whereby the switch 33 is opened and the clutch members 30 and 81 are disengaged.

In this manner the automobile may be driven in a forward speed into the garage and onto the turntable whereupon it is automatically shifted through 180 so that it may be driven out of the garage in a forward speed. Moreover the turntable automatically resets and controls itself and requires no attention. By eliminatin the necessity of driving in reverse, the lia ility of accident and damage is lessened.

I claim:

l. In combination, a turntable, a motor, a switch controlling the motor, speed reduction gearing between the motor and the turntable, a clutch in said speed reduction gearing, a common control for the clutch and switch, vehicle operated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be engaged and the switch to be closed, and turntable operated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be disengaged and the switch opened.

2. In combination, a turntable, a motor, a switch controlling the motor, gearing between the motor and the turntable, a clutch in said gearing, a common control for the clutch and switch, vehicle operated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be engaged and the switch to be closed, and turntable operated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be disengaged and the switch opened.

3. In combination, a turntable having channels providing ways for the wheels of a vehicle, a motor, a switch controlling the motor, gearing between the motor and the turntable, a clutch in said gearing, a common control for the clutch and switch, vehicle operated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be engaged and the switch to be closed, said vehicle operated means including levers pivotally mounted in the channels of the turntable, and turntable op* erated means for setting the control so as to cause the clutch to be disengaged and the switch opened, said turntable operated means including rollers carried by the turntable.

4. In combination, a turntable, a motor, a switch controlling the motor, gearing between the motor and the turntable, a clutch in said gearing, a common control for said switch and clutch including a longitudinally shiftable control rod connected to the switch and clutch, a spring connected to the control rod for shifting the same so as to open the switch and disengage the clutch, a pin fixed to said rod, a sliding and swinging control plate having a camming surface engageable with the pin in one position of the plate and having a recess accommodating the pin in another position of the plate, a spring for biasing the position of said control plate, vehicle operated means for shitting the control plate to bring the recess thereoil into alinement with the pin, and rollers carried by the turntable and cooperable with the Vcontrol plate.

said turntable.

FRED JOHN BUMP. 

